No. 1390

Grenadins of Tenderloin, Paladio

Grenadins de Filet de Boeuf a la Paladio

Cut lengthwise from a tenderloin some slices half an inch in thickness, and shape them like half hearts, then lard them with small pieces of larding pork (No. 4, Fig. 52). Garnish the bottom of a sautoir with slices of bacon, place on top finely cut onions and carrots, and set the grenadins above. Moisten with Beef stock (No. 194a), cover the saucepan, and reduce until dry. Moisten again, cover with a sheet of buttered paper, then set it in the oven to cook, basting it frequently during the time. Glaze them a fine color, then have pieces of cooked ham the same shape, fry them in butter with sliced apples. Arrange the cooked ham on a dish, put grenadins on top, reduce the gravy, strain, and remove the fat, mixing in some espagnole (No. 414) reduced with Madeira wine, and pour it over the grenadins. Garnish the dish with the slices of fried apples.

← No. 1389 Grenadins of Tenderloin Marc Aurele Beef No. 1391 Grenadins of Tenderloin, Previllot →

For the Modern Kitchen

A braise-and-glaze treatment of tenderloin from Ranhofer's kitchen, written for cooks who had stock, espagnole and larding needles on hand. The hinge is the two-stage moistening: the first liquid is cooked away entirely so the sugars in the stock and vegetables catch on the pan bottom, and that caramelized film is what colors and flavors everything afterward.

What a grenadin isA small, thick collop of tenderloin, cut about half an inch thick and trimmed to a half-heart or rounded-triangle shape. The recipe as printed gives no quantities or number of servings.
A sautoirA straight-sided shallow pan with a lid, not a saute pan proper. Any wide skillet or braiser that holds the grenadins in one layer without crowding will do.
Larding porkFresh (unsmoked) pork back fat, cut into thin lardons and drawn through the meat with a larding needle. Fatback from a butcher is the correct substitute; salt pork can be used if blanched first, or the step skipped and the grenadins simply barded with a thin sheet of fat, since modern tenderloin is tender enough not to need it.
"Reduce until dry"Cook the first addition of stock down to a syrupy glaze on the pan bottom, watching closely at the end so it browns rather than burns. That caramelized film is what darkens the finished glaze. Deglaze with the second addition.
Oven heatThe recipe specifies no heat. A moderate oven, around 325-350F, suits the braise-and-baste method described. Cover with buttered paper as the recipe directs rather than a tight lid, so the surface glazes as it bastes.
Cooking timeThe original gives no time. Half-inch grenadins need only a short spell in the oven, roughly ten to fifteen minutes, to reach medium rare, and the glazing is best judged by eye rather than by the clock.
Espagnole and MadeiraEspagnole (No. 414) is the brown mother sauce built on brown roux and veal stock over several hours. A good reduced brown veal stock or demi-glace concentrate, cut with Madeira and reduced, gives the same effect; use a dry or Sercial Madeira, not a sweet one.
Ham and applesCut the ham slices to the same half-heart shape as the grenadins so they sit as a base. The apples should be firm-fleshed enough to hold up in butter without collapsing; slice them thick and take them out while they still have some bite.

A Little History

Charles Ranhofer's The Epicurean (1894) records the repertoire of Delmonico's in New York, where he was chef for over thirty years, and its beef chapter runs to hundreds of numbered variations distinguished chiefly by garnish and sauce. A grenadin is a small larded medallion, cut and shaped in imitation of the fricandeau of veal; larding was standard practice in a period when butchery, aging and breed produced leaner, firmer beef than a modern tenderloin. Names are attached to these variations, Paladio here, Marc Aurele and Previllot on the facing entries, and the dish pairs ham with fried apples.